Two little boys are a step closer to getting the equipment they need to live well with their disabilities, thanks to a gang of superheroes from Preston.

The Busby Boys – Charlie, 7, and Harry, 5 – both have Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), which is one of the most severe forms of muscle disease in children. They became the lucky recipients of Kirsty Quigley’s fundraising powers after Kirsty approached Cash for Kids with the idea of walking 24 miles from Cleveleys to Preston for charity.

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Kirsty, who is from Ingol, said: “I had been wanting to do an endurance type walk for a while, but I knew it would be hard going so needed to get a good team around me to make sure we could all support each other on the day.

“We’d discussed numerous distances and we all agreed that over the 20 mile mark was around what we should be aiming for. I was originally trying to push for 40 miles, but was talked out of it! I worked out that Cleveleys to Preston was around 24 miles and I knew the route quite well, so we went for that.

“I spoke to Nikki Thompson, the Charity Manager at Cash for Kids, and she introduced us to the beautiful Busby Boys.

“We found out more about DMD, which is caused by the body’s inability to produce dystrophin, a protein that’s essential to keep muscles intact. It usually develops at an early age and worsens quickly. The gluteal muscles and thighs are usually weakened first, which means the ability to walk is likely to be affected.

“We also found out that Charlie and Harry need lots of things to help them in their daily lives. Charlie has a power chair that he loves, and we are fundraising to buy another for Harry. Charlie has trouble sleeping so we would like some twinkly stars and sensory equipment for his ceiling to help him drift off easier and have lovely dreams.

“The fit was perfect and we fell in love with the little boys.”

Kirsty and her gang agreed the date for the walk, not realising what a challenge the weather that day would bring.

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“Little did we know a weather warning would be issued. It was quite possibly the worst day of weather we’d had this year but did it bother us – did it heck.

“Callon Kids Club very kindly donated us their minibus and their wonderful driver Colin for the day. Without him it would have been impossible – he was our support unit and carried all our much needed supplies.

“We arrived at Cleveleys front at 6.30am, got our ponchos on and stepped off the van, and the wind and rain ripped the ponchos straight off us! We knew there and then it was going to be a day to remember.

“We set off at 6.45am, all in good spirits. The team consisted of me, Jenny Hodson, Annie Devey, Rachel Parker, Jamie Parker, Sharon Eaves, Diane Sedgewick and Joanne Mount. With ten miles left we met up with the boys’ mum Leanne Busby, plus Dawn, Charlene, Becky and Benji.

“We had friends and strangers stop us en route with snacks, drinks and donations. The kindness of strangers was just amazing, especially as we got closer to Preston. It’s what I love about this city. People stopping in the rain to put money in our buckets.”

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Kirsty put her friendships to the test, however, when the route turned out to be slightly further than she’d planned.

“In total we clocked up about 28 miles, so I lost a few friends that day! But they are speaking to me again now.

“It was over ten hours walking in bad conditions, but I’d do it all over again today to help those little boys and their family.

“When I put my three little boys to bed at night it makes me realise just how lucky I am not to have the worries that Leanne and her family have around raising much needed money for the boys.”

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“Seeing Charlie and Harry’s smiling faces certainly lifted everybody’s spirits at the end of the walk. They are definitely the superheroes to us.”

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The Busby Boys need around £6,500 to fund Harry’s chair and Charlie’s sensory equipment. So far Kirsty’s walk has raised around £1,200. To donate to the cause, visit Kirsty’s fundraising page.

What do you think of Kirsty’s fundraising efforts? Let us know in the comments below.